Bolls for planishing ibon



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES NOBLE, OF MONONGAHELA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROLLS FOR PLANISHING IRON.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 21,844, dated October 19, 1858.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES NOBLE, of Monongahela borough, Allegheny county, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rolls for Planishing Iron; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the annexed drawing, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a vertical section through the rolls at right angles to their axis. Fig. 2, is a perspective view of my rolls in their housings, showing the groove in the lower roll.

Like letters of reference in each of the figures denote similar parts.

In the manufacture of sheet iron, the polished surface is given to it by passing it at a red heat between highly polished iron rollers, under very great pressure, which, if successfully accomplished, would give to sheet iron a smooth burnished surface resembling Russia iron. A great practical diiiiculty which it is the object of my invention to overcome, has hitherto prevented the accomplishment of this desired result. This difficulty is, that it has been found impossible to press the rolls so closely together as to give to a thin sheet of iron the requisite pressure; to produce the burnished surface, for the screws will yield somewhat to a pressure less than that required to planish the iron. This diiculty has been partially obviated by rolling a number of sheets,ilaid one on top of the other, together. Thus when sheet iron of the thickness of 24 or 26 on the wire gage is to be rolled, from four to six sheets are laid together and passed simultaneously between the rolls, and more sheets are added to the pile when the iron is to be thinner. By this process no one sheet is exposed on both sides to the surface of the rolls, only one side of the top and bottom sheet in the layer is planished, and all the other sheets are more or less rough, not having had either side in contact with the face of the rolls. Another disadvantage is, that by this process the sheets are apt to adhere to each other, and are liable to tear, in being separated, and thereby many sheets are utterly spoiled. All

these difficulties I overcome by the use of my improved rolls, and am enabled to roll single sheets as high as No. 30 of the wire gage and impart to both sides a highly polished surface, by actual contact, under the necessary degree of pressure with the polished surface of the rolls.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement in rolls, I will proceed to describe their construction and operation.

My invention consists in making a curved groove, depression, or recess, in the surface of one of each pair of planishing rolls, throughout its entire length, parallel to its axis, into which groove, depression or recess the other roll is pressed by screws, before the rolls are started, and the sheet of iron placed between them, so that when the rolls are started the upper roll rises out of the depression or vgroove and thus a great increase of pressure is obtained sufficient to overcome any yielding of the screws and to give the necessary pressure on a single thin sheet of iron.

In t-he drawings a a are the frame work or housing of the rolls, b is the up er and c the lower roll. These are large ro ls highly polished, and are placed one over the other in their housings, touching so as to move by rolling contact. The lower roll c has at each end a bearing or journal box l in which the ournal e of the rolls rest, but no upper journal box; and the 'upper roll b has over each journal f, an upper journal box g but no lower journal box. On the top of each of the housings is a screw 7L which presses against the upper journal box g of the upper roll b, at each end and presses the upper roll down against the lower roll. The housings are supported and held together by cross bars 11, z'. Thus constructed, so far as described, my rolls and housings, are like the ordinary rider rolls used for polishing sheet iron.

In one of the rolls, say the lower one c (but it is immaterial which) I make a straight groove, or depression, about of an inch or less, in its greatest depth, and wide enough to permit the face of the other roll Z), to sink into the bottom of the groove. This groove k, extends the whole length of the roll, parallel to its axis. In this consists my improvement, the use and effect of which I will proceed to detail.

Before the rolling is commenced, the lower roll c is turned around until the groove 7c is the highest point of the roll and therefore in contact with the surface of the upper roll b which immediately sinks into the groove throughout its entire length. The screws 71 h, are then turned so as to press down the upper roll Z into which the groove 7c in .the lower roll c.- Motion is now communicated from the steam engine or other prime motor, in the usual way to the lower roll c, the groove 70 then begins to descend as the lower roll passes around, and the upper roll I) must of necessity pass out of the groove lc. The sheet of iron to be rolled having been placed between the rolls while the upper roll b is resting in the groove 7c, is caught between the rolls and subjected to the violent pressure thus produced; any yielding of the screws h, L, in

the housings is overcome or rather compensated forV by the increased distance between the axis of the rolls b and e, when the upper roll b, passes over andout of the groove 7c in the lower roll, and the extreme pressure thus produced planishes a very thin sheet of iron on both sides, producing that beautiful surface well known as belonging to Russia sheet iron. As a dent or crease in the sheet of ironV would be caused if it continued between the rolls when the groove le in the lower roll comes again uppermost by the revolution of the roll, the lower roll c is made of suicient diameter to roll a whole sheet at one revolution. The same result might Ybe produced by making a dovetail groove in the lower roll, into which the upper roll mayrsinl, and after the groove in the roll has passed beyond the point of contact with the upper roll, then lling the dovetail groove with a piece of iron slid into it, and fitting nicely, thus completing the lower roll so as to allow it to pass around over a sheet more than one revolution; but as it would be diiiicult to remove and replace this complementary strip, and as the joint could not bereadily made so close as not to leave an impression at each edge of the groove, on the sheet of iron rolled, owing to the extreme degree of pressure, the mode hereinbefore indicated and shown in the drawings, is much preferable.

Having thus described my improvement in rolls for planishing thin sheets of iron, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The use of rolls having a straight groove, depression or recess extending parallel to its axis for the entire length of the roll, or at least for the length of the other roll of the pair, into which the other roll is placed before they are pressed together; for the purpose of securing a degree of pressure adequate to the planishing of single sheets of metal, in the manner hereinbefore described.`

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day ot August A. D.

Y JAMES NOBLE. Witnesses:

JOHN W. RIDDELL, MARTIN Gr. CUSHING. 

